Video Asylum

Posted by bondmanp (A) on March 28, 2003 at 10:57:18

In Reply to: A/V Receiver under $2K posted by Cypher03 on March 20, 2003 at 19:19:40:

I've heard all of these receivers except the Sony. My impressions:

The Denon offers superior dynamics, a touch to the warm side of neutral, with good, but not great surround processing.

The Pioneer, while not as dynamic as the Denon, is a big improvement in dynamic ability vs. older Elite receivers. Pioneer is the warmest sounding of the three, but stereo soundstaging is mediocre. If you like the room EQ feature, it's the only one of the three with this feature. I own an older Elite, and it has been very reliable and easy to use.

The Yammi is a clean sounding receiver with acceptable dynamics, a slightly brighter sound, excellent imaging and soundstaging, and great surround processing. I've heard older Yammis with Polk speakers and the combo seemed to work well.

I would also audition the Rotel RSX-1065, which should be in your price range. If you value strong stereo performance in addition to HT performance, this is an excellent receiver.